Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard may have raced against the clock for a second consecutive Tour de France victory.

A sensational time trial from Vingegaard on Tuesday saw the overall leader increase his advantage over two-time winner Tadej Pogacar to about two minutes with just five stages left; Sunday’s largely ceremonial, including the final parade to Paris.

Competing on the Jumbo-Visma team, Vingegaard started the day just 10 seconds ahead of Pogacar, after having barely separated the two in a fascinating duel over the past two weeks.

But when it came to head-to-head combat, Vingegaard was in a class of his own.

The Danish cyclist finished the 22.4-kilometer uphill route between Passy and Combloux, 1 minute 38 seconds ahead of Pogacar. Wout van Aert finished third at the end of stage 16, 2:51 behind Vingegaard.

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The 26-year-old Vingegaard leads Pogacar 1:48 overall and it will take the Slovenian cyclist an equally sensational move to snatch the yellow jersey from his opponent.

Adam Yates finished third, almost nine minutes behind Vingegaard.